OpenCart is a popular open-source CMS for online stores, written in PHP. It combines ease of administration, template flexibility, and a rich set of built-in features — from catalogs and shopping carts to payment and shipping modules.

OpenCart supports multi-language capabilities, SEO optimization, and integration with popular payment gateways (LiqPay, PayPal, Stripe, etc.). The CMS is suitable for both small stores and corporate solutions with a large number of products.

Environment Preparation

Installation via Hosting Panel or FTP

1. Download the latest stable version of OpenCart from the official website.
2. Upload the archive to the www/DOMAIN_NAME directory and unpack it.
3. Create a new database.
4. Open your website’s address (http://DOMAIN_NAME or https://DOMAIN_NAME) in your browser to launch the OpenCart web installer. The installation wizard will appear in the opened window, where you need to sequentially specify the site parameters:

• OpenCart requirements check;

• store name and administrator email;

• login and password for the panel;

• database parameters (DB_NAME, DB_USER, DB_PASSWORD).

5. After installation, delete the /install/ directory (the CMS will offer to do this automatically).

Installation on a VPS or Dedicated Server

1. Install Nginx / Apache, PHP-FPM, and MySQL.

2. Create the /var/www/DOMAIN_NAME directory and upload the OpenCart archive there.

3. Unpack it and grant permissions to the web user:

   sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/opencart
   sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/opencart
   

4. Configure the virtual host in Nginx:

   /etc/nginx/sites-available/opencart.conf

   server {
       listen 80;
       server_name DOMAIN_NAME;
       root /var/www/opencart/upload;
       index index.php index.html;
       location / {
           try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string;
       }
       location ~ \.php$ {
           include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
           fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php8.2-fpm.sock;
       }
   }
   

   Activate the site and restart Nginx:

   sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/opencart.conf /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
   sudo nginx -t && sudo systemctl reload nginx
   

Configuring Additional Features

Configuration Setup

The OpenCart configuration file is located at: ~/www/DOMAIN_NAME/config.php You can find more details in our guide

Connecting an SSL Certificate

To enable secure HTTPS protocol, use Let’s Encrypt or a commercial SSL certificate. After installation, enable Use SSL in the store settings within the OpenCart administration panel.

Performance Optimization

• Enable caching in System → Settings → Server → Use Cache.
• Activate GZIP compression (optimally 6–7).
• Ensure PHP OPcache is enabled.
• Configure cache directories with write permissions (system/storage/cache/).

Verifying Operation

1. Open https://DOMAIN_NAME/admin in your browser — the admin panel should load.
2. Go to Reports → Statistics and confirm that the system is working.
3. Visit https://DOMAIN_NAME/ — the store’s main page should open without errors.
4. Add a test product and check the shopping cart.

Common Errors